Book Review: Frog Goes to Dinner

Rating: ★★★☆☆

This is a series of funny wordless books about a boy and his pet frog, drawn lovingly in pencil.  In this episode, the boy and his family are going to dinner at a fancy restaurant.  The frog stows away in the boy’s pocket, and while the family is ordering jumps out and begins to wreak havoc among the other diners.  When it is caught, the boy claims it and the family is thrown out of the restaurant.  The boy is sent to his room, where he plays happily with the frog.

His lack of penitence at having caused his family such trouble might be concerning to some parents, and the parental anger is far more concerning (although the wordless genre allows for adult interpretation of what was said), especially since the boy did not intend to bring the frog to the restaurant.  However, this lighthearted fantasy portrays a bit of real human nature, allowing children to think about what different people are feeling in different scenes.  It provides an example of what not to do in a restaurant, and might be a means of preparing a young reader for the experience.  There are opportunities to discuss consideration of others, self-control, and table manners.  If a parent is willing to overlook its faults, this could a funny library checkout, but it shouldn’t live on the free-reading shelf.

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Publication Information: Mayer, Mercer. Frog Goes to Dinner. Boy Dog Frog; . 1974. ISBN: 0140546332.
Categories: 3 Stars, Age 00-04, Honey For a Child's Heart, Read-Aloud Handbook
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Posted on May 29, 2009


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